Martin proving to be a big cheese!
A Shropshire farmer who gave up milking cows to concentrate on cheesemaking has now started production a purpose built dairy in Shrewsbury.
A Shropshire farmer who gave up milking cows to concentrate on cheesemaking has now started production a purpose built dairy in Shrewsbury.
Award-winning cheesemaker Martin Moyden personally delivered the first batch of his popular Wrekin Blue cheese made at the new daury to customers – ensuring the continuation of a success story that is helping his company
and local retailers, alike, ride out the recession.
Martin and his wife, Beth, started making cheese six years ago on the family farm at Church Aston near Newport. They have now taken the unusual step of giving up farming to concentrate fully on making cheese in their new dairy at the Food Enterprise Centre, run by Heart of England Fine Foods, on the Battlefields Enterprise Park in Shrewsbury.
The move means they expect to be able to double production of their unique range of cheeses over the next 12 months.
But, says Martin, he is determined to use precisely the same traditional production methods which ensure the authenticity of his cheese – and to maintain the close relationships with customers, including independent retailers, restaurants and hotels.
He added: "It was a very hard decision to give up farming and one that involved our whole family. But it was the only thing we could do to develop our cheese business the way we need to. We've been heartened by the response of all our
customers who have been very supportive."
Previously, all the milk for the cheese came from the family's dairy herd. Now, Martin says, he will source milk through Shropshire farmers and will make sure he pays them a fair price.
Milk for the first cheese produced in his new dairy comes from Wilstone Farm at Cardington, near Church Stretton.
Martin added: "I may have given up farming, but I am still a farmer at heart. Our aim is to build a business that supports farmers and independent retailers. Being local will remain a big part of our future."
The Wrekin Blue, a soft and sweet cheese with a natural, rustic rind, won the Heart of England Fine Foods Dairy Product of the Year in 2010.
Other products include the Wrekin White, a classic, rich and nutty cheese aged for six months, and a smoked cheese called Newport 1665, named aptly after a great fire that devastated Newport in that year.
Mr Moyden's Handmade Cheese has rapidly become one of Shropshire's culinary success stories and, say his customers, is contributing to a revival in quality local produce that is bucking the economic gloom.
Gaynor Richards, of Richards Butchers in Albrighton, said: "Having products like Mr Moyden's Wrekin Blue cheese is very important to small, local retailers like ours. It's very popular with customers and proves there is still an
appetite for locally-produced premium produce.
"With people not having quite so much money in their pockets, they are dining and entertaining at home more and they're proud to be able to put local quality cheese on the table for their guests."
Jane van Doesburg, of van Doesburg Gourmet Foods, in Church Stretton, said: "Martin's cheese is wonderful. It has a very strong following among our customers. It's also very popular with tourists because they can take away a fantastic
local cheese, knowing they are taking with them a genuine taste of Shropshire."
Jeremy Jagger, Manager of the Battlefield 1403 Visitor Centre, in Shrewsbury, said: "I can see Wrekin Blue developing into a Shropshire classic. It's a local producer using locallysourced ingredients and is sold through local, independent shops. That is a very strong story."
